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Manchester United vs Saint-Etienne Match Prediction

By Marius Hrebenciuc

Europa League favourites Manchester United will be looking for an advantage in their Europa League round of 32 tied with Saint-Etienne when they welcome Les Verts at the Old Trafford on Thursday night. Manchester United managed a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Watford last time out in the Premier League thanks to a goal in each half from Juan Mata and Anthony Martial. Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne won 4-0 at home against Lorient, with Jorge Intima, Romain Hamouma, Jordan Veretout and Loic Perrin all getting on the scoresheet for Christophe Galtier’s team. Below we have our betting tips, predictions, team news and match stats all in our SBAT preview.

Manchester United Preview

Manchester United have been impressive over the past three months, as they have only lost once in their last 22 games across all competitions. Their sole defeat was a 2-1 loss at Hull City in the EFL Cup towards the end of January, but they still managed to qualify into the final round thanks to the first leg result. This means that United are involved in the EFL Cup, FA Cup and Europa League at the moment, and of course, they are also fighting for a Champions League place throughout their Premier League campaign. Manchester United have only lost three games in 25 league fixtures this season, but find themselves only in 6th position in the standings, already 12 points off the current leaders Chelsea. The Red Devils looked incredibly strong at the back since their 2-1 defeat against Hull, as they kept a clean sheet in each of their last four games across all competitions. Manchester United have been impeccable at the Old Trafford over the past five months, winning 13 and drawing six of their last 19 home fixtures in all competitions. In addition, the Red Devils have never lost a home game against French sides and have won all three of their European home fixtures this season.

Saint-Etienne Preview

Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne have been alternating victories with defeats over the past few weeks, but they enter the fray on a high following their recent 4-0 home win over Lorient at the weekend. Les Verts currently stand in a respectable 5th position in the Ligue 1 table with 39 points under their belts after 25 rounds, just one point off the European places. Their solid defence has been St. Etienne’s main reason for their good performances throughout this Ligue 1 campaign, as they have one of the meanest defences in the division with just 19 goals conceded in 25 league outings. Regarding their Europa League, Saint-Etienne finished on top of their Group C table with 12 points to their name after six rounds, just one point clear off the runners-up Anderlecht. They haven’t lost a single game throughout the group stage, and actually, Les Verts are undefeated in ten European fixtures this season. On the road, Saint-Etienne are currently on a five-game unbeaten streak in the Europa League since a 2-1 defeat at Basel back in February 2016, when they were knocked-out from the round of 32. Romain Hamouma has been St. Etienne’s most prolific player throughout this Ligue 1 campaign, helping the team with six goals and two assists in his 18 league appearances.

Saint-Etienne Team News

Betting Predictions and Tips

Manchester United have been impeccable at Old Trafford over the past five months, while Saint-Etienne have endured a mixed run of form on the road in this term. Manchester United should be able to pick up a victory in this one, but I’m expecting a low-scoring affair, as Saint-Etienne are a team who like to keep things tight.